Tunchez has denied the allegations against him and said the indictment was part of a conspiracy to keep him from prevailing in the election.

Outside the courtroom on Tuesday, Tunchez declined to comment.

"Those allegations were politically motivated four days before my election," Tunchez said in a November Facebook Live video. "They put a political hit out on me."

The Nueces County District Attorney's Office has maintained the indictment was based on evidence the office had, not politics.

District Judge Nanette Hasette appointed attorney Travis Berry to represent Tunchez. His trial is set for March 4.

Tunchez told the judge he has lost out on work following the indictment but is currently employed. He didn't elaborate on what the job is or his salary. During the campaign, he had talked about working with his mother to manage a family-owned business called Unique Touches. His mother died before Election Day.

Tunchez also ran a nonprofit, Stop Bullying, which is aimed at raising awareness on bullying and cyber bullying in schools.

In the District 3 race, Tunchez finished with about six percent of the vote, behind Margareta Fratila, Eric Cantu and Roland Barrera. Barrera and Cantu are in a runoff for the seat. Voters will pick a winner Tuesday.

This is not Tunchez's first brush with the law. The Caller-Times reported in September that he'd been arrested several times over the years and accused of crimes that included family violence. He also has a pending misdemeanor criminal trespass case, court records show.

If convicted, Tunchez faces as long as 10 years in prison and as much as a $10,000 fine.